Elon Musk, Tesla Inc. TSLA, and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. WBD are facing a lawsuit filed by Alcon Entertainment, alleging copyright infringement during Tesla’s robotaxi event.
What Happened: The Los Angeles-based production company, known for “Blade Runner 2049,” has accused them of using an AI image generator to create promotional art for Tesla’s “We, Robot” event, reported The Verge.
The artwork allegedly bears a striking resemblance to stills from the 2017 sci-fi film, Blade Runner 2049, the copyright of which is owned by Alcon.
The lawsuit claims that Tesla and Warner Bros. sought permission to use imagery from the film just hours before the event, which was held on the Warner Bros. lot in California.
However, Alcon denied the request due to concerns about being associated with Musk and Tesla, citing Musk’s controversial behavior, which they viewed as detrimental to their brand.
“Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account,” the suit states. “Alcon did not want BR2049 to be affiliated with Musk, Tesla, or any Musk company, for all of these reasons.”
Despite Alcon’s refusal, Tesla allegedly used shots from Blade Runner 2049 to create a stylized image displayed prominently during the event. Alcon also alleged that it was not informed about any agreements between Tesla and Warner Bros. that were necessary before the event.
The production company believes that these agreements included a promotional element that connected Tesla’s Cybercab with one or more films from the studio’s catalog.
The lawsuit does not specify the amount of damages sought, but it asserts that Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. were aware of the unauthorized nature of the image and its improper use.
Tesla and WBD did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
Why It Matters: At the Tesla “We, Robot” event earlier this month, the EV giant unveiled its two-seater robotaxi, the Cybercab. The event also featured the company’s humanoid robots.
Following the highly anticipated Robotaxi Day, analysts suggest that Tesla’s stock may continue to decline due to the absence of clear business plans for robotaxis and the lack of updates on a more affordable production vehicle.
The Optimus robots came under fire recently when it was disclosed that engineers were operating them remotely during a demonstration. The event featured the robots displaying their skills by dancing and serving drinks, leading some critics to describe the presentation as deceptive.
Despite criticism and skepticism surrounding Tesla’s Optimus robots, Nvidia Corp. executive Rev Lebaredian defended the technology, underscoring the complexity and technological prowess involved in controlling these robots.
Image via Shutterstock
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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